Management

Below are recent studies, reports, magazine articles, and other resources that MRSC has collected regarding local government management issues.

All links go to external websites. Please note that these links were valid at the time of their original posting, but because websites and addresses may change, we cannot guarantee that all links still work.

The Beginners Guide to Working with Elected Officials (September 10, 2019)
What you need if you want to develop an effective work relationship with your elected officials. More from ICMA Blog.

Landscape Changing Quickly for Aging Services (August 6, 2019)
More than two-thirds of older adults will need 3-5 years of services and support to help them age successfully, which will require some heavy lifting from counties. More from NACo's County News.

Evidence-Based Policymaking Resource Center (July 8, 2019)
State and local government leaders can use the Pew-MacArthur evidence-based policymaking resource center to explore new ideas, identify promising practices, and inform their own strategies for creating a more effective government.

Seattle Innovation Council Tackles Homelessness, Social Services in First Projects (May 9, 2019)
Seattle’s Innovation Advisory Council, created by Mayor Jenny Durkan last August as a way to leverage the region’s technical talent against local issues, has announced seven technology projects it plans to implement. More from Statescoop.

Building a Map to Help Care for Vulnerable Residents (May 8, 2019)
San Bernardino County, California, uses a survey and mapping tool to connect homeless people with support services. More from Route Fifty.

To Tackle Complex Problems, Escape Your Coworkers (May 1, 2019)
Slack and in-person teamwork are great, but you should probably close your office door once in awhile, too. More from Route Fifty.

Don’t Confuse Effort with Progress or Output with Outcomes (April 24, 2019)
Effectiveness and success are about progress, not effort. They’re about outcome, not output. More from NACo's County News.

UniverCity Program Blends Student Research With Local Government Challenges (April 19, 2019)
A University of Wisconsin-Madison program that connects students and faculty with local governments to solve problems is going outside of the Madison area for the first time. More from Wisconsin Public Radio.

Manage This - Promoting Volunteerism to Your Community’s Retirees (April 18, 2019)
While volunteers can be almost every age, it is important that local government leaders begin to focus on the growing and largely untapped wave of baby boomer retirees. More from PM Magazine.

Satisfying Surveys (March 25, 2019)
Does your local government conduct resident surveys? Have you ever used surveys for evidence in decision making? If you answered “no” to these questions, keep reading to find out how a survey can improve your community and the services it provides. More from Public Management.

Where Public Sector Union Membership Is Shrinking and Growing (March 12, 2019)
Newly released employment numbers show a small decline last year in the rate of public sector union membership. More from Route Fifty.

10 Things to Know About Government Reorganizations (January 30, 2019)
The “soft” stuff turns out to be the hard stuff. More from Route Fifty.

Undertakers of Last Resort: Indigent Burials on the Rise, Denting County Budgets (January 22, 2019)
Indigent burials are on the rise in many parts of the country, and counties are usually the final stop for the poor, homeless or unclaimed when it comes to paying the bill for cremations, funeral services or burials. More from NACo's County News.

10 Challenges that will Define Cities in 2019 (January 16, 2019)
From homelessness and housing to big tech and budgets, the forces shaping urbanism in the coming year. More from Curbed.

To P3 or Not to P3 (December 5, 2018)
Public-private partnerships (P3s) can bring substantial benefits and value to the procurement, delivery, operation, and maintenance of public infrastructure —although care needs to be taken. More from Government Finance Review.

Applying Design Thinking to Public Service Delivery (December 3, 2018)
A new report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, Applying Design Thinking To Public Service Delivery, focuses on the expanding use of design thinking in government to transform how agencies engage citizens, enhance operations, and innovate across a broad spectrum of public management challenges.

Answer These 11 Questions to Understand if You’re a Good Manager (November 8, 2018)
Managers should think about these metrics when measuring success. More from Route Fifty.

When Is a Public/Private Partnership the Right Choice? (November 6, 2018)
A new online Public Infrastructure Decision Tree provides guidance to state and local government officials. More from Urban Land.

Philadelphia’s Internal Innovation Grants Are Fostering New Ideas (October 31, 2018)
Philadelphia recently awarded a series of grants, most of which totaled around $7,500, to innovative projects and ideas that came straight from the public servants who work daily in the local government. More from Government Technology.

Shared Service Agreements Require Governments to Work Together (October 16, 2018)
Alternative service delivery that involves shared services requires governments working together to achieve shared policy objectives and services. More from NACos' County News.

Supporting an Aging Government Workforce with Mentoring and Offboarding (October 9, 2018)
As the workforce grows older, local governments need to think of how best to handle the transition to the next generation. More from ICMA Blog.